Franco Collé Holds On for Fourth Victory at Tor des Géants®

That nothing should be taken for granted at the Tor des Géants® is one of the few certainties of this race: anyone who has participated or experienced in some way at least one of the editions run so far knows this very well. One who has learned a lot from this unwritten rule is Franco Collé, especially after what happened in 2017 when, firmly in the lead, he retired in Bosses, about thirty kilometers from the finish line, paving the way for Javi Dominguez’s victory Ledo.

After the failures of Jonas Russi and Simone Corsini before the start, it seemed obvious that the victory of TOR330 was a monologue from Collé himself. However, the Aosta Valley native seemed tense at the start, less energetic than usual, and some physical difficulties seemed to put his triumph in doubt. Then he followed the Frenchman Romain Olivier and together with him he traveled almost 200 kilometers until, just before the Rifugio Magià, the Frenchman had to stop to rest.

The highlight of an already written triumph? No way. Romain recovered half an hour, Collé seemed tired and the games seemed to have reopened. In Ollomont, however, the Frenchman stopped to get a massage and let go. At this point the objective remained: to beat his own record of 66h43’57”. Bosses had almost an hour ahead of his 2021 times, but the advantage gradually dwindled: the Aosta Valley native was tired and in pain, and his pace was affected. The descent from Malatrà was long and interminable but the objective was achieved for a few minutes. Franco Collé crossed the finish line at 4.39, in 66h39’16”. It is the fourth victory for him, after the triumphs of 2014, 2018 and 2021.

“I wasn’t hoping to win, after retiring last year I was just aiming to finish it – said Franco Collé at the finish line. They were three intense days for me and my family, but the TOR is the TOR, it’s something unique, from try or see live. I know I will never be able to tear myself away from this race.” He won the race in Ollomont: “Romain had an impressive pace, in Ollomont I decided to try and make the hole. The level is rising, this is the TOR we want”.

However, Romain Olivier deserves a lot of applause, both for the sportsmanship with which he “took care” of Collé on the first night – reciprocated by the Aosta Valley before the Magià – and for his performance. The Frenchman is now in second place, and hopes to finally be able to get on that Tor des Géants® podium that he dreamed of in 2019. Behind him Galen Reynolds seems to have managed to break away from the group and was first at the Bosses, with a few minutes advantage over Martin Perrier and Damian Hall. In the women’s category, Emma Stuart is always in the lead ahead of Jocelyne Pauly and Sophie Grant.

This afternoon, Wednesday 13 September, the arrival of Sébastien Raichon is also expected, who is crumbling his previous record of the TOR450 – Tor des Glaciers with about 10 hours to spare, while in the evening it will be the turn of the winner of the TOR130 – Tot Dret.

c. s. g. c.

2023-09-13 10:41:03
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